It's The Final Countdown (Do Da Dee Do, Do Da Dee Dee Do)!!
- The Crow Crew
- Jan 30
- 6 min read
It's our final week before we close for our annual February hiatus... And we are crashing out in style: TV star stand-up comedy, open mic, Traditional Jamaican ska, BYO Vinyl, a fantastic free entry gig and a groovy vinyl DJ set!!!
Firstly: A quick apology that this update is (a) overdue, and (b) likely to be a little bit more verbose than usual (I seem to have misplaced my brain at the moment - and as waiting for it to return hasn't worked as yet, I thought I'd crack on and just ramble)!
As you know (from my previous epic overshares), about 18 months ago, we trawled through our books to see whether the business was (or could be) viable. We took advice from The Music Venues Trust and top accountants in the industry, spoke to other venues and local businesses and eventually, we came up with a plan to balance investing in more events & growing trade, with lowering our outgoings, in order to put those early Covid days behind us, and for the venue to finally be able to thrive.
We aren't there yet. To be honest, I think every UK grassroots venue and small business would tell you that things are pretty dicey at the moment. That post-pandemic Golden Age seems to be taking its sweet time in arriving! The government coffers are overflowing with "tough decisions" and platitudes, but no actual cash or meaningful support. The whole country seems tired, fed up with Winter and just waiting to see what spanner the peanut-brained, Mango-Mussolini will throw in the world's works each day!
Who'd have thought that we would be looking back at the 90s now like it was some sort of Utopia?! If I'd known, I might not have spent so much of it off my baps on a cocktail of crap lager, Tropical Reefs and Bacardi Breezers!!! Anyway... I digress!
Despite the existential wobble of Western Civilisation, the business's finances have definitely improved, and whilst there's still a long way to go, and the vast amount of time and work it's taken to get here is showing no sign of letting up any time soon, we are (slowly) making progress... And surely, that MUST mean that eventually, it will pay off and things will start to get a bit easier!
One fact we couldn't escape was that February was (by far) our worst month for trade. So last year we decided to close for a few weeks. It was a gamble - obviously, being closed massively impacted our cash flow as there was no income; however, it mitigated some losses, gave us time to do some essential maintenance to the equipment and fixtures and meant that we could actually take a bit of a break!
It's now been a year since me and Mr B managed to escape to Fuerteventura for a few days. Finding a 4-night, budget-friendly, winter sun holiday had meant our choice of destination was limited, and whilst we did have a lovely time, it felt a little like we were getting rat-ar*ed in a 1980s Workingmen's Club on the side of a volcano!
That holiday feels a lifetime ago now, and I'm not going to lie, I am counting down the days until the next one (4 days, 7 hours and 36 minutes)!! This year we have a whole week to commit to the holiday, so we had far more destination options, and have (hopefully) managed to find a holiday that involves sunshine, golden sands and alcohol, without the risk of having to listen Babs from Bradford squarking Celine Dion's entire back catalogue on karaoke!
Suffice to say, I am a little distracted!
If I'm being completely honest, I've been a little distracted for weeks now. We closed over Christmas (except for New Year's Eve), and knowing we will be closing again on the 1st of February has made it nearly impossible to muster any sense of urgency. You'd think that the Xmas break would have rejuvenated my motivation, and that I would be kicking the ar*e out of the growing mountain of tasks that need to be completed before we relaunch at the end of February. Instead, (rather inconveniently), my brain downed tools on Christmas Eve and is apparently now Absent Without Leave, having spent far too long musing whether Shiraz would pair better with a Cheddar Truckle or a Terry's Chocolate Orange, (obviously it was the chocolate orange... Everyone knows cheddar goes best with Prosecco... I'm not a complete philistine... even if I do often drink it out of a pint tankard)!
So whilst I will be at the bar this weekend, I am likely to have all the productivity of a chimp with a deckchair. At least we have an absolute whopper line-up to keep me entertained whilst I'm there!
Don't miss out on your chance to get your CCB fix to last you through our annual hiatus!
There's plenty of fantastic events lined up this weekend for you to choose from...
Fri 30 Jan 8:30pm: The Estimators
Live, traditional Jamaican Ska from this brilliant 8 piece band.
"Pure Musical Sunshine"
Dancing shoes definitely recommended!
LOW TICKET WARNING!!!
Sat 31 Jan 12-6pm: BYO Vinyl
All genres welcome. Great decks & pa. No pre-booked slots, just pop down and give your favourite records a spin! Free entry. Outside food allowed. Dogs welcome. 16+
Sat 31 Jan 9pm: FRET HEADS
Epic Alt rock, emo & pop punk belters. Free Entry 18+
Sun 01 Feb 12-4pm: Number Six
DJ JonR + DJ Tones will be spinning the coolest tunes - Hammond grooves, soundtracks, soul & 60s vibes + retro visuals on the big screen. Free Entry. 16+
We are then CLOSED until Wed 25 FEB (except for The Gazza Records takeover: GazzaFest 6, on 13 Feb)
Fri 13 Feb from 5pm
The Crooked Crow Bar LU7 1DH
Last few tickets available from our website
To celebrate 6 years of Gazza Records, GazzaFest 6 will be taking over The CCB on Friday 13th Feb with an amazing lineup of acts:
PRINCE FATTY
SONIK INDUCTION SOUND SYSTEM
AUDIONASTIES
THE LONE GROOVER
STRAY FOX
DJ DIM DJ MIKEY
Before GazzaFest 6 takes place, we will have all of the events for March listed up on our website, and by time we relaunch on the 25th Feb, we are hoping to have the whole year listed so you can get filling your diaries!
You may have noticed that we have been trialling a few new events over the last couple of months. These events will be becoming a regular feature once we are back open:
Wednesdays: Non-Music Events
The Big Fat Quiz Of The Crow - Castle Comedy Night - Curtain Caw - The Crow Ram-Jam
Thursdays: A Mixed Bag!
OSP Presents - The Candlelight Sessions - Live Lounge - The Mic Drop - Drag Cabaret
Fridays: Ticketed live music
Saturdays: BYO vinyl (12-6pm) followed by free entry live music from 9pm
Sundays: Vinyl DJ Sessions (12-4pm)
Number Six - Afternoon Rave - The Lounge Buzzardz (Sunday Club) - Ska From The Bar
We will be posting more info about all of our regular events on our website and socials before we relaunch... So keep your eyes peeled for details.
Other News:
We held off implementing a price increase last year after the budget, but we will have to wiggle our prices a bit. We will obviously try to keep everything as affordable as possible!
At some point this year, we will need to bite the bullet and introduce plastic drinkware for weekend, evening events. We have known this time would have to come for quite some time - I can't actually remember the last time I went to a gig and was given a drink in a glass! What we can promise is this, WE WILL NOT BE USING SINGLE USE PLASTIC CUPS! But while it is a firm "NO" to using those flimsy, micro-plastic creating glasses that make the beer taste bad, reusable plastic beakers may need to become a feature at some point.
Amongst the To Do List for when we are closed, we have scheduled in a beer install. Sadly, we will no longer be serving draught Guinness or Chieftain IPA, but we are really excited that they will be making room for us to serve Caffrey's Irish Stout and Salt: Jubel in their wake! We will be posting more details soon!
Did you see our Fiona Shillitto was posthumously awarded a 2026 Community Volunteer Award by Leighton-Linslade Town Council, for her environmental and sustainabilty work and wide ranging volunteer work in the community? We are (and always will be) so proud of her.
4 days, 7 hours and 13 minutes... If I don't see you at the bar this weekend, I'll see you when I'm back from holiday (I won't be hard to miss - I'll be glowing red and peeling)!
More updates to follow once I'm back (hopefully that are more useful and less rambling)!!!
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